Poisoned
by rachelariella
Summary: Caroline Grey has worked hard to keep her life on the Southside and Northside separated, but her loyalty is tested when her family become accomplices in the murder of Jason Blossom. She knows she can either help them cover it up or assist her friends in revealing the truth, but with friends and family on both sides of this conflict she's certain someone she loves will bleed {AU}
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Riverdale. Any similarities in storyline or dialogue originated with the show.

 **A/N:** Caroline would resemble Scarlett Leithold. I also want to give a big thanks to WildRecklessYouthInMe for being an amazing and supportive friend. I never would have finished this without you.

 **Prologue**

It was the pain that eventually lured the girl back to consciousness. The intense throbbing that radiated from the base of her skull elicited a soft groan as she raised her head from the cold, concrete ground. She forced her eyes open slowly, fighting the urge to cover them when the artificial lighting streaming down on her only worsened the pain. Her palms slid beneath her and she used what little strength she could gather to push herself off the floor. She managed to get to her knees before the intense headache stopped her. The teenager brought her fingers to her temples, massaging them softly as she took in her surroundings. Her mind was still in a fog from being pistol-whipped, but she could make out the stairway in front of her which led into the bar above.

"Caroline."

The blonde turned her attention towards the voice. She recognized it as soon as it reached her ears, but she didn't want to believe it.

"FP," she sighed when she met the older man's gaze. Her throat tightened so she forced herself to swallow. It did nothing to lessen the weight on her chest, though.

"Hey, Care-bear," FP Jones murmured as his eyes surveyed her quickly. He was checking for other wounds, she knew.

"Don't call me that," Caroline said with a harshness to her voice that she rarely used. It would take a lot more than a blow to the head for her to forget what he had done.

FP blinked slowly as he pursed his lips and Caroline's gaze flickered to his hands, which were now curled into fists. She looked up when he opened his eyes again. The pain in his expression was plain to see, but she ignored it. They had been estranged for most of her life and while they had grown closer over the span of the last few months, he had ruined everything the moment he placed his greed above the welfare of her friend.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Caroline shook her head in disbelief. "Now you care?"

"I've always cared about you," FP said, a determined look in his eyes. "Even though your mother never let me to see your family, I still cared and I always will. The last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt."

"It's too fucking late for that, FP," she responded without missing a beat, her tone as cold as ice.

"It was Mustang who hit you," he revealed with a sigh. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to stop him, but you should have come to me the second you—"

"Where the hell is he?"

FP held her gaze for a moment and gestured at the door at the top of the stairs. "In the bar."

"Not Mustang," Caroline said.

"Same place you found him," the older man said, not needing her to explain who she was talking about. He nodded towards the doorway behind her and Caroline turned around quicker than she should have. The sudden increase of pain made her stumble as she tried to stand, but FP caught her by the arm before she could lose her footing. The second she was steady on her feet, she yanked her arm out of his grasp and continued into the adjoining room without sparing him a second glance.

Seeing it for the second time was almost worse than it had been the first time. She was knocked unconscious by Mustang before it had a chance to set in, the fact that her godfather had kidnapped her childhood friend and decided to hold him for ransom. Her and Jason weren't nearly as close as they had been when they were kids, but there was no mistaking it. The red-haired teenager tied to the chair in front of her was Jason Blossom. He was the protective boy next door that she had spent years of her life swapping her deepest, darkest secrets with. Yet, at the same time, it wasn't Jason. He was no longer the smiling or carefree teenager she knew and loved. Instead he was unconscious and hunched over, beaten and bleeding. This was all that was left of him after being kept tied up in a bar basement for a week.

She only hesitated for a moment before she willed herself to move. Nothing was going to stop her from getting him out of there. Caroline dropped to her knees in front of him, swallowing hard as she began to fiddle with the ropes that held him to the chair. She inhaled sharply when a hand wrapped firmly around her wrist and pulled her to her feet. FP stared down at her, a mix of emotions in his dark eyes.

"What the—"

"You can't untie him, Caroline," the older man instructed with as much resolution as he could manage. She had seen a similar look of determination in his eyes before, but this time was different. He didn't actually want this. Any of it.

"Why not?" Caroline asked, her expression softening for the first time since she had awoken in the basement.

"His dad is almost here," FP revealed, dropping his gaze to Jason. When he spoke again his voice was nearly a whisper. "It's almost over."

"He's a child, FP," she said quietly in an attempt to appeal to his fatherly instinct. Her godfather returned his attention to her, but there was barely any resolve left in his eyes.

He exhaled slowly as he ran a hand over his face. "I know."

Caroline shook her head. "This is kidnapping."

" _I know_."

"What are you going to do if you get caught, FP? What's gonna happen to Jughead? Did you even think about him before you—"

"I won't get caught, Caroline," he said, cutting her off, but she couldn't find any reason to believe him.

"Let me untie him, at least," Caroline begged as she stepped towards him slowly. " _Please, FP_."

He held her gaze for several seconds before he shook his head. "Your uncles should be here soon to get you."

She sighed as she shut her eyes. There was a part of her that wasn't surprised that her family was involved, but until that moment she had been desperately hoping that this was one crime they had stayed far away from.

"Did they know?" Caroline asked after she opened her eyes and set them on FP's. When he didn't answer she repeated herself, unable to keep the frustration from seeping into her voice. " _Did they know_?"

"No," FP said. "Not until I called them about you."

"Please, don't lie to me, FP," Caroline pleaded in a barely audible whisper, but she knew he heard her.

"I'm not, Caroline. I swear," he said and for reasons she couldn't truly understand, she believed him.

She looked down at Jason, who was just starting to regain consciousness. Caroline turned away from her godfather and friend and went to the sink attached to the opposite wall. She wet a clean rag that was sitting on the workbench beside her and returned to Jason, dropping to one knee in front of him. The older boy lifted his head slowly when she placed her hand under his chin. His eyes remained shut as she surveyed the wound on his cheek, but she hoped that even if he couldn't see her, he could still hear her.

"Hey, Jase," she murmured as she ran the towel under the cut on his cheek gingerly. "This is almost over. In a couple hours you'll be back at home with Cheryl and your parents. Everything will be okay."

"Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on in here?"

Caroline swiveled around and shot to her feet the second the voice reached her ears. Standing in front of her was the only family she had left: her uncles, her protectors, her influencers. She swallowed as she met the second eldest's gaze. Joseph had become the de-facto leader since his older brother was deployed overseas and like his siblings his appearance reflected his Navy SEALs background. He was well-poised with a military-grade haircut, muscular build, and a stern expression pulling at his features. His eyes betrayed no emotion, but Caroline knew him well enough that he didn't need to speak for her to know what he was thinking.

"She came down here and found him," FP explained as he gestured towards Jason, who was beginning to stir in the chair. "Mustang hit her over the head with his gun and she was knocked unconscious, but she's fine."

Joe turned to his niece, his expression softening the moment their gazes met. He closed the distance between them with two long strides and Caroline pursed her lips as she stood there, unmoving. He lifted a hand and wrapped it around the back of her head. She winced when his fingers brushed against the tender spot where she had been struck. There was blood on his fingertips when he pulled his hand back into view, but Caroline didn't give it a second glance. If life had taught her anything so far it was that she knew how to take a hit.

"She doesn't look okay, FP," her uncle said as he held up his hand. She stepped in front of him when he made a move towards the leader of the Southside Serpents. She pressed her palm against his chest to stop him.

"I'm fine, Joseph."

"You sure?" He asked. His niece nodded weakly, knowing that her uncles would have no problem going after FP for what had happened to her. They had done way worse to people for less than that.

"I'm okay, I promise," she reassured him.

"Take her home, Rich," Joseph instructed as he glanced over his shoulder at his brothers, but Caroline shook her head.

"No, I'm staying," she said adamantly. She didn't want to leave before she knew that Jason was back with his family.

Richard, the next eldest, exchanged a look with his brother before turning back to his niece. Much like Joseph, his appearance seemed to contrast Caroline's in every manner of speaking, but even though they had shared no blood relation they were her family. "Care…"

"He's my friend and I'm not walking out of this bar until he does," Caroline said, refusing to back down. Her uncles were bigger and stronger than her. If they really wanted her to leave there wasn't much she could do to stop them from carrying her out the door, but she hoped that they'd let her stay with Jason.

She stared up at Joseph until he met her gaze. "Please, Joe."

"Let her stay," Charlie said, drawing her attention to him. He had always been the most sensible of the siblings and his brothers tended to actually listen to him. He was probably her best shot at convincing his brothers to let her stay. "Nothing's gonna happen to her with us here."

Caroline turned back to the acting patriarch of her family. She watched as he struggled with the idea of allowing her to stay in a possibly volatile situation. Ever since she came to live with them, her uncles had worked hard to be good guardians and keep her safe, but there was always a chance that their line of work would eventually endanger her. All they could do was try to prepare her for it in case the day ever came.

"Fine," Joe said after a long silence. He ran a hand over the light stubble that covered his chin and set his gaze on FP. "When is Blossom supposed to get here?"

"He should be here any minute," the older man said, "but people like that don't run on anyone else's schedule."

"What happened to the kid?" Charlie questioned as he stepped towards Jason.

Caroline looked to FP for the answer. Her godfather would have never hit the Blossom boy, but she couldn't say the same for every person who had access to the basement. As much as she liked to believe that all of her family's affiliates were upstanding citizens, the cold hard truth was that some could be considered the scum of the earth. In Caroline's opinion, the Southside Serpents landed on the other side of the spectrum, but they weren't called a gang for nothing.

"Mustang got a little carried away, but I put an end to it as soon as I found out," FP explained, but it did nothing to lessen the anger that Caroline was feeling towards him. Despite his good intentions, he still kidnapped a child and held him captive in a dingy basement for a week. She doubted there would be anything he could do to get back in her good graces.

Caroline folded her arms over her chest. "Aggravated kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, assault—"

"What are you doing?" Joe asked as he looked back at her.

"Just thinking about all the charges the cops are gonna stick FP with when he gets caught," she answered with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. Her uncle let out a soft scoff.

"He's not gonna get caught, Care," he said, shooting a look at FP. "He's a friend and we look out for our friends, right?"

His niece pursed her lips into a taught line when he returned his attention to her, as if he was expecting her to agree with him. Loyalty was a foundational part of their family, but did they really expect her to stand with the person who had hurt her friend?

With a terse nod of her head, Caroline relented. "Of course."

"FP," Mustang said, appearing in the doorway behind them. Caroline turned on her heels and grit her teeth at the sight of him. If she had anything to say about it, she'd set her dogs on him and let them tear the man apart, but with her uncles calling the shots she'd probably never get the chance. She shifted her weight and dropped her gaze, knowing the longer she looked at him, the angrier she'd get. "Blossom's here."

Caroline let out a sigh of relief as the news settle in the room. This whole ordeal was nearly at the finish line. She only hoped that getting her family dragged into it wasn't going to be a mistake on her end.

"Bring him down here, now," FP said and Mustang disappeared back up the stairs.

"How much are you getting for the kid, FP?" The youngest of her uncles asked, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived at the Whyte Wyrm. It was a reasonable question, but Caroline wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. Who was to say what someone's life was worth?

"That doesn't matter now," the Serpent leader answered after a moment of silence passed over the room.

"Guess not," David continued. He stepped forward so he was standing beside his brother Richard and shrugged carelessly. "Is it going to make all this worth it?"

"No," FP admitted, causing Caroline to look up at him. "I don't think any amount of money would make all this worth it."

Before she could respond, the sound of someone clearing their throat cut through the silence. Caroline turned to see Clifford Blossom standing where Mustang had been only a minute prior. Even though she had known him her entire life, she was never fond of the Blossom patriarch… or matriarch for that matter, but if his presence meant that Jason was truly safe then it didn't matter what she thought about him.

"Mr. Blossom," Caroline said when his eyes landed on her. He gave her a curt nod before walking past her uncles, who quickly made a path for him to get to his son. She watched him closely for a minute, searching for the anger or fear that any parent would be feeling in this situation, but she couldn't find either.

"Can I have a moment alone with my son, please?" Mr. Blossom asked as he slid a glance in FP's direction. The younger of the two men didn't hesitate to nod and start out of the room. Caroline's uncles followed him, but Joe stayed planted in the spot beside her when she didn't move. Jason was nearly fully awake by then, seemingly confused at the sight of his father standing in front of him.

"I am so sorry," she said to both Mr. Blossom and Jason. Caroline bit into her lip when she noticed the fear in her friend's eyes. While a part of her thought there was nothing left for him to be afraid of, her nerves refused to settle. It was as if someone was turning her insides with a fork, but she forced herself to ignore it.

"We know, Caroline," Mr. Blossom responded as he turned slightly to look at her. "Give us a minute, please."

"Of course," Joe said when Clifford gave him a subtle nod. He put an arm around Caroline when she failed to move on her own and guided her out of the room. She hoped that Jason would believe that neither her nor her family had anything to do with the kidnapping.

"Hey, we'll figure this out," Joseph told her when they joined his brothers and FP in the adjoining room.

"I know, I just have this feeling—"

The single, unmuffled gunshot that cut her off mid-sentence pierced through every word, every thought, every feeling. There was no misconception about the origin of the sound. Not for Caroline or her uncles. They seemed to all move at the same time, but she was the fastest. She turned and sprinted the short distance into the room where Jason was being held, skidding to an abrupt stop when her eyes landed on the lifeless corpse of her friend.

The bullet hole in the middle of his forehead should have made it absolute, his death, but Caroline still lurched forward in an attempt to go to him. Joe grabbed her roughly around the waist and yanked her backwards as his gaze shifted to Clifford Blossom. The older man was wiping the gun in his hand with a small rag, his expression and demeanor seemingly unaffected by what he had just done.

Joseph's attention returned to his niece. She had stopped trying to break his hold on her by then, having gone almost completely still. Joseph would have been lying if he said this was all he expected from her. Caroline had never been an emotional person and he had witnessed her ability to mask the ones that were strong enough to tear at her emotional barriers. Yet, he believed that the death of a friend would have been the thing to finally thing to make her walls crumble. His assumptions seemed to only prove how well really knew her.

Ever since Caroline realized there was such a thing as her and other people, she noticed that she never had the same reactions that her friends and family did. There was something that didn't fit in with her friends' innocence, with their willing ignorance of the world outside of Riverdale. Caroline enjoyed their company, but as she got older it had become apparent that she'd always be a step away. Most people didn't even seem to notice she was different—or that she felt different. None of it ever truly mattered to her, though. Not until she was staring at her best friend's dead body and couldn't shed a single tear.

She wanted to cry and scream and feel all the things that she was supposed to, but the grief never overcame her. Jason's death weighed on her in a different way, similar to the same way that the death of her family had. The realization that another person she loved was now dead landed on her like a ton of bricks and sucked the air from her lungs. As she stood there with her uncles, staring at the lifeless body of Jason Blossom, she tried to piece it all together. But the night's events seemed to blur in her mind, making it near impossible for her to understand how it had gotten to this point.

One second Jason was alive and breathing and the next he had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. Even with a hundred questions running through her mind all she could focus on was the fact that he would never again drive her to school. It seemed like such a mediocre tradition before, but she was no longer in the before. She was now in the after and she had no idea what that meant for her or her family. Maybe that was what scared her the most. How could she protect them from something that she didn't see coming?

"Get her out of here, Richard. _Now_."

Joseph's voice was the first thing that managed to cut through the bubble Caroline had found herself in. She turned when her uncle's hold on her loosened, meeting his gaze as she peered up at him. The concern in his dark eyes was plain as day, but she noticed that there was also something lacking from his expression. The shock and confusion that Caroline had expected to find there was absent and she realized her uncles had been expecting it to play out the way it had the whole time.

"You knew…" Caroline murmured. She stepped back, breaking their embrace abruptly and Joe knew that she had finally pieced it together, their family's involvement. She shook her head faintly as she held his gaze. "You all knew."

"You have to get out of here," Joseph said, blatantly ignoring Caroline's revelation.

He wanted to tell her that she was only half-right, that they had gone there thinking that Jason would walk out alive. Clifford Blossom was the one who had turned the tables before anyone could stop him and now there was no going back. Joseph couldn't dwell on the fact that the murder of a teenage boy had happened right under their noses. He only had time to think about how to deal with it. He wanted to blurt the truth to his niece, but there would be a time and a place for them to discuss it and the basement of the Whyte Wyrm was not it. He looked to David and gestured weakly towards their niece. "Get her home."

Unlike he expected, Caroline didn't fight David when he took her by the arm and started to guide her out of the room. There was no reason for it. She had been living with her uncles long enough to know that was nothing she could say or do that would sway them from their decision. They would do what it took to secure their family's future, no matter who it hurt in the end. A part of her wanted to stay, to find out what they were planning to do with Jason's body, but she already knew that she would hate what she would see if she did. Caroline only stopped when she reached the doorway to the next room. Joe pursed his lips into a thin line when she faced him again, the disappointment in her eyes tearing a hole through his heart.

"Make sure you put the body somewhere it'll be found. Jason deserves that much at least," Caroline told him and left her family behind in the basement. Joseph looked at Richard, hoping he could give him form of encouragement, but all he could offer was a weak shake of his head. They had no reason to question her loyalty or willingness to keep what she had seen a secret. Joseph was more worried about whether or not she'd be able to understand why they did what they did.

"I'll drop her off at home and come right back," David said, looking between his older brothers.

"No, take her to our place and stay close," Charlie responded and Joseph nodded in agreement.

"Try to make sure she's actually on board with this," Joe added quietly

"On board with the cover-up of the murder of her childhood friend? That's very fucking unlikely," Charlie said, looking at his brother. He turned to David as he ran a hand over his face. "Just make sure she's okay."

David managed a nod and disappeared into the next room. Richard waited a moment before turning to his brothers. "Do we really think David is the best choice for this?"

Joseph met his gaze and shrugged. "If Caroline isn't handling this as well as she'd like us to believe then David is probably the person who would understand that the best."

"Let's just get this done and then we can all go home and worry about our niece together," Charlie said as he turned to face the corpse of Jason Blossom.

* * *

 **Two months later…**

Caroline winced when the high-pitched ringtone belonging to Betty's phone cut through the silence that encased the bedroom. She rolled onto her stomach and grabbed the cell off the nightstand, taking a moment to glance at the bathroom where Betty was getting ready for bed.

"Who is it?" Her friend's voice reached her ears and Caroline glanced down at the screen. She sat up and ran a hand through her hair.

"Kevin," she said. "I'm gonna kill him for disturbing my beauty sleep."

Betty appeared in the doorway of her bathroom still donning her homecoming dress, a smile perched on her lips. "You weren't even asleep. Can you just answer it? He probably wants to know what happened after Cheryl's."

Caroline slid her finger across the screen and put the phone to her ear. "Someone better be dying, Kev."

"Where's Betty?" Kevin asked quickly, ignoring her measly attempt at a joke.

"In the bathroom, getting ready for bed," Caroline answered as she fought off a yawn. "And I was in bed, getting ready for sleep."

Kevin cleared his throat. "Can you put me on speaker? It's important, Caroline."

She did as he asked and waved her best friend over to the bed. Betty walked into the bedroom as she ran a brush through her hair and sat down next to Caroline.

"What is it, Kev?" Betty questioned.

"They found Jason's body. Well, actually I found Jason's body… at Sweetwater River," Kevin revealed.

Caroline swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of her throat the second Jason's name echoed through the phone. Her uncles had been gracious enough to let her know that they expected Jason's body to be found sometime that weekend. She never expected that Kevin would be the one to make the discovery.

"Oh, my god," Betty murmured as she slid off the bed. "I have to tell my parents."

"Go, tell them," Caroline said and picked up the phone, pulling it closer to her mouth. "We'll be there as soon as we can, Kevin."

She hung up the call and swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting her feet dangle above the carpet for a moment. As glad as she was that Jason was finally going to be able to have a real funeral, the unease had begun to set in. She had always been a skilled liar and an even better actress, but this was different. Jason's murder would raise questions that only a select few had the answers to, Caroline being one of them. In order to protect her family and even Jughead's dad, she'd have to keep that truth somewhere no one would uncover them.

"Are you okay, Care?" Betty's voice brought her back to reality in an instant and she met her friend's gaze. She pursed her lips softly and shrugged.

"I don't know," Caroline answered truthfully, knowing that it could be one of the last time that she had a chance to do so. Betty didn't hesitate to close the distance between them and pull Caroline into a hug. She embraced her friend, wrapping her arms around her as she rested her head on Betty's shoulder.

"We'll get through this, Care," Betty whispered and Caroline forced herself to nod.

"I know."

With anything else, Caroline wouldn't have thought twice about trusting Betty with the truth, but this was uncharted territory. Jason Blossom was dead and if the truth came out, she would lose the only family she had left. As much as she'd like to believe she would be strong enough to handle that, she knew she wasn't. Despite her resolve to protect her uncles, she knew the guilt that lingered inside her would never fade. Her friend was dead and her uncles were letting the killer get away with it. There was no way to lessen the sting of that truth.

Caroline had been asking herself for weeks, what the price of her family's crimes would be. Maybe this was it…


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Please excuse any spelling/grammar errors (i suck at editing) and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading!

 **Chapter 1**

Caroline lingered in the doorway, her arms folded over her chest. She bit her lip as she watched David toss and turn in his bed. His skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat and his dirty blond hair was sticking up in all directions. He had yet another restless night of sleep.

It was normal for her to find her uncle like this. In a few minutes he would start to scream, being unable to wake himself from the reccurring nightmares. The job of waking him had once been her uncle Charlie's, but it had fallen on Caroline's shoulders when she moved in with them. While she never learned the specifics, most of David's problems was due to his PTSD. It had been almost a year since his last deployment, but his personal demons seemed as strong as ever.

As if on cue, David flipped over abruptly in his tangled sheets and the room erupted with terrorized cries. Some days, Caroline could make out names or certain words, but tonight it was only a string incoherent screams. Without making a sound, she tiptoed into the dark bedroom. David had always kept it decorated to a minimum, with only a nightstand, a dresser, and a single desk to occupy the space. That certainly made it easier to maneuver through his room in the dark. Once she was standing a couple feet from his bedside, she grabbed the broom that was tucked behind the nightstand. Making sure to keep her distance, she used the pole end to prod his arm.

"David!" Caroline called out between his screams. "David!"

Her uncles turned over suddenly, his blue eyes flung wide in shock. She dropped the broom and lunged forward when he reached for his pillow. He nearly got his hand underneath by the time she grabbed his wrist, stopping him before he could move any further.

"David, stop!" She exclaimed as she struggled to keep a hold of him. He finally looked up and his expression faltered at the sight of his niece. The confusion and fear contorting his features started to slowly dissipate from his face as he was drawn back to reality. "It's me. It's Caroline."

"Caroline?" David repeated under his breath. She let out a silent sigh of relief once his arm relaxed under her weight. "Caroline…"

"You're home, David. You're safe," she continued as his breathing started to slow. "You're safe."

Her uncle glanced around the dark room in an attempt to catch his bearings and Caroline waited a few more moments to release his wrist. She watched him closely as he rolled onto his back.

David pushed himself up on his pillows and ran his hands over his face, exhaling heavily. She sat down on the edge of the bed and forced an encouraging smile when he finally met her gaze. "Well, that was fun."

"What did I say?" David asked.

Caroline shrugged faintly. "I couldn't understand you."

"Truth?"

"Truth." His niece managed a soft nod. "Do you ever remember what you dream about?"

"Sometimes," David said. He pulled his covers back slowly and dropped his legs over the side of the bed. He turned his head toward her after rubbing the fatigue from his eyes. "Do you?"

She nodded. The truth always came easy when she was talking with David. She could never find a reason to lie to him. "Always."

David pursed his lips as his gaze fell to the carpeted floor. "But you wish you didn't, don't you?"

"I don't know." Caroline paused, making her uncle look up again. "Is it harder to live with the memories because you can't forget them or is it harder to live with the guilt because you could?"

Her uncle let out a breathless laugh. "Sometimes I think you're too smart for your own good, Care."

"I guess it's true what they say: ignorance is bliss." David shook his head and stood from the bed.

"Ignorance makes you vulnerable and vulnerability is a liability." Caroline noticed how his expression had turned solemn when their gazes met. "There's no place for that in this life. Believe me."

She closed her eyes as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Thank you for waking me up," David said and walked out of his room.

"Anytime."

Caroline waited until she heard the bathroom door close down the hall to return her attention to David's pillow. Before reaching for it, she glanced at the door to make sure she was alone. A heavy sigh spilled from her mouth when she lifted the pillow to find a 9mm Glock lying underneath. She picked the gun up and turned it over, her gaze landing on the safety catch.

"Goddamn it, David," Caroline whispered when she saw that the plastic lever was pushed down, meaning the safety was no longer in place. There was no need to check that the weapon was loaded and ready for to be fired. Her uncles always told her there wasn't any use for an empty gun.

Staring at the weapon, she became all too aware of what could have happened if she had reacted any slower when David had reached for it. Her gaze flickered to her arm where the past graze wound had faded into a light pink scar. While she had gotten lucky that morning as well, it was enough for her to take extra safety precautions. She wanted to avoid having to dodge another one of her uncle's bullets ever again. David had felt guilty enough to give up his first gun, but it was obvious that his PTSD had been worsening lately. It had to be the reason he decided to stash another gun.

Caroline tucked the firearm into the waistband of her pants, pulling the hem of her shirt down over it. She wanted to tell her other uncles about it, but she knew the kind of conflict it would cause. Jason's murder had brought out a side to her uncles she'd never seen before. Ever since July 11th, they'd all been on edge. On top of that, David's disorder seemed to only be getting worse. Another fight with his brothers wouldn't do anything to help that. In the end, Caroline knew that their family had to be in one piece if they were ever going to make it through Jason's murder investigation. If that meant she had to keep a few secrets to keep them that way, then so be it.

* * *

It had become an uphill battle for Caroline to drag herself out of bed and make the trek to the northside of the town for school every day. That medial task seemed even harder the Monday after Jason's body was discovered though. Most of her classmates knew they were friends, having grown up right next door to each other. That meant the second she walked into the halls of Riverdale High, she would be under the microscope.

People tended to have preconceptions about how someone _should_ react to the fact that their friend was killed. They'd definitely be watching to see if Caroline lived up to those expectations. After the death of her parents and siblings, she had learned that it was better to simply stay under the radar. Unfortunately, that was harder said than done when your last name was Grey.

"Caroline!"

She recognized the voice, but didn't bother turning around. Due to the long-lasting friendship between their fathers, Caroline had been raised alongside Archie Andrews. He had been more of a brother to her than her own siblings and his dad, Fred, was the only real father figure she had ever known.

Normally, this was the time of day that he'd walk with her to their next class, but things had changed after Cheryl's party. She was determined to keep her distance from both Archie and Veronica until Betty decided what she wanted to do next. In the end, Caroline would still be friends with Archie, but for now she needed to be there for her best friend.

"Care, please!" She heard him shout from behind her.

"Not today, Andrews," Caroline called over her shoulder and kept a steady pace as she continued down the hall towards her first class. Archie quickly maneuvered through the crowd to catch up with her. She slid a quick glance in his direction when he fell into step beside her.

"Please, don't be mad at me too."

She sighed heavily. "I'm not angry, Archie. I just don't want to talk to you right now."

"Because of Betty."

"Because you made out with Veronica Lodge the same night that your best friend told you that she was hopelessly in love with you," Caroline corrected. Realizing her accusation came out harsher than she meant, she backtracked. "You and Betty are my closest friends and normally I wouldn't choose a side, but you hurt her. So, for today, I'm on Betty's side. She needs to know that she has a friend that _will_ choose her."

"All right," he said after a moment of thought. "But that's just for today, right?"

"I don't know, Arch." Caroline shrugged, a sigh seeping between her teeth. "I think that's up to you. You're the one that messed up. The only thing you can do now is try to make it right with Betty."

"I _am_ trying. I walked her to school today and she said we were fine." Archie paused for a moment, giving her time to process his words. Betty was still pretty upset when they had talked that morning, but a lot of things could change in the span of a couple hours. "But I honestly don't know if I believe her."

"Just… give her a day. Betty's a forgiving person. She might just need some space."

"And what if it's more than that?"

Caroline pursed her lips, realizing this was a time for reassurance, not criticism. She placed a hand on his shoulder in a lousy attempt to encourage him. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

* * *

"Can I ask you a question?"

Caroline dropped her head to the side, keeping her attention on the dead frog in front of her as she dragged the blade of the scalpel down it's sternum. "Since when do you need permission to ask me a question?"

"I—I don't—" her friend stuttered, seeming more confused than her in that moment. "I just meant—"

"Wow," Caroline cooed and put the surgical instrument down on the table. She turned on her stool to give him her full attention. "This must be good if it's got Jughead Jones tongue-tied."

"I'm not tongue-tied," he retorted quickly, making Caroline smirk. He shook his head and leaned forward. She was slightly skeptical as to why he felt the need to be secretive in biology class. "It's just… I think this could be a sensitive matter about a mutual friend of ours."

Caroline raised an eyebrow when he failed to gesture subtly at Archie, who was sitting at the table behind them. She lowered her voice. "And what sensitive matter is that?"

"Do you remember when we went on that road-trip over the 4th of July weekend?"

She nodded. "What does that have to do with Archie?"

"He was supposed to go with us," Jughead reminded her quietly.

"And?"

" _And_ he cancelled at the last moment."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to piece together his fragmented train of thought. Letting out a quiet sigh, she gave up. "Okay, I have a feeling that this is supposed to be making a lot more sense than it actually is. Could you just speed this along by telling me what point you're trying to make?"

"He didn't go on the road trip on the 4th because something came up at the last minute that he had to 'deal with.'" Jughead added air quotes to the last two words to remind her of their conversation with Archie. He leaned in again and lowered his voice to a whisper before continuing. "What if it was something having to do with Jason's murder?"

Honestly, Archie was the last person she'd expected anyone to try to link to Jason's murder, least of all one of their closest friends. She only hoped there was a good reason behind Jughead believing that Archie was suddenly capable of murder. "You think that Archie Andrews— _our_ Archie—is involved in Jason's disappearance and murder?"

She continued when Jughead gave a faint nod of his head, somehow maintaining enough control to keep her voice at whisper volume. "Are you insane?!"

"It's not completely unjustified." Jughead glanced tensely over his shoulder.

"Actually, it is _completely_ unjustified," Caroline rebuffed. She happened to be one of three people who knew what Archie was doing on the 4th of July and who he was doing it with. That didn't mean it was her place to tell Jughead about it. "I can tell you, without a doubt, that he did not change his mind about going on a road trip just so he could go murder Jason Blossom instead. This is Archie we're talking about, not Boo Radley for god's sake."

"Fine," Jughead conceded after a moment of silence passed between them. "But I think he knows something about it. Maybe that's why he's been acting so weird since summer vacation."

"Jughead, think about what you're suggesting. Until two days ago we all thought Jason drowned," Caroline explained, carefully constructing the lie she had practiced repeatedly over the weekend. Even though she had been prepared to defend herself, it seemed to work just the same for Archie.

"So, what if he saw something that didn't seem out of the norm until after we found out Jason was killed?"

Caroline sighed. It wasn't enough to tell Jughead that Archie didn't do what he suspected. He had always been the kind of person that needed to investigate a theory until he figured out the answer himself.

"Jug, if you really want to know the truth, why aren't you asking the one person who could give it to you?"

He only hesitated for a moment before responding. "Because I don't want to find out that he's been lying to me."

"Well, would you rather go on wondering about it or ask and find out for yourself?"

"How will I know if he's lying?" Jughead asked her.

Caroline gave him a small smile. "It's Archie. You'll just know."

"Can you come with me?"

"Not this time." Caroline continued before he could ask why. "I know Archie didn't do anything wrong. This is your theory to investigate, Jug. Not mine."

"And what if he is lying?"

"Then I'll go with you to talk to him," she said. Jughead narrowed his eyes, obviously curious. "We made a promise a long time ago to never lie to each other and as far as I know Archie hasn't broken it yet."

"But you have." There was no doubt or hesitation in Jughead's voice when he spoke this time.

Caroline didn't bother to confirm her friend's statement before she returned her attention to the frog on the table. They both knew she had told her fair share of lies, but it wasn't something he'd ever force her to address out loud.

* * *

The gym was almost empty when Caroline ambled through the doors. She had come the second she received Betty's text. Even though the message was short, it left no room for misunderstanding. Her best friend needed her.

"Hiding in the gym is a tad cliché, Cooper," Caroline said as she made her way towards the bleachers. She forced an encouraging smile when Betty looked up at her with tears in her eyes. Her friend made a feeble attempt to return her smile.

"It was the first place I thought of." Betty swiped her hands under her eyes, smearing the tears across her flushed cheeks. Once Caroline reached her, she sat down on the bleachers and pursed her lips.

"Is it safe to assume that lunch didn't go as smoothly as you expected?"

"I thought I could take it, being around him." Betty paused and Caroline slid a glance in her direction. "But I was wrong, Caroline."

"I'm sorry. This must be really hard for you," she said, wrapping an arm around her friend.

Betty placed her head on Caroline's shoulder. "How do you do it?"

There was no explanation needed. Her apathy was something they usually only talked about behind the safety of a closed door. "I don't know, but I've spent a fair share of time hoping that I could be more like you."

Her best friend scoffed. "Betty Cooper and Caroline Grey: the girl who cared too much and the girl who couldn't care enough."

"That sounds like the title of a bad teen fiction novel," Caroline said in an attempt to lighten the mood. She took Betty's hand in hers and clasped it between her palms. "Just… tell me what you need me to do to make you feel better."

Betty squeezed her hand. "I asked you to come and you did. That's all I ever needed from you."

* * *

"Did you know?" Jughead asked as he appeared in front of Caroline in the middle of the hallway, blocking her path. Stepping back, she pulled her headphones out of her ears. She had just finished holding soccer tryouts so she was still wearing her work out clothes, which only made her want to get straight home.

"Know what?" Caroline deadpanned. All she really wanted was for the day to end.

"That Archie is sleeping with Ms. Grundy?!" Jughead said, his voice raising considerably.

Caroline grabbed his arm and pulled him into the nearest classroom. "Jesus Christ, Jughead. Why don't you shout that a little louder? I don't think Principal Weatherbee heard you."

"So, you did know." Jughead sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face. "How long?"

Caroline huffed a breath. "Summer vacation."

"You've known all this time and you didn't do anything to stop it?"

"And what would you have suggested I do, Jug?" Caroline quirked an eyebrow. "Go to the cops? I don't have any evidence and Archie never would have corroborated my statement. Go to Mr. Andrews? That would hurt Archie and his dad as much as it would Ms. Grundy."

"I don't know, but I do know that you should have done more than just accepting it and moving on." He scoffed harshly. "But then again, what else should I expect from you?"

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He let out a breathless laugh, waving a hand in her direction. "You are the most selfish person I know, Caroline. If it doesn't directly affect you then you don't care about it at all."

"I know," she admitted. Jughead was one of the few people she could acknowledge it out loud around. She forced a weak smile. "But even though it's true, you're only saying it because you're angry and I know you'll regret it later."

Jughead held her gaze and the remaining anger slowly faded from his expression. His shoulders drooped slightly when he exhaled. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for telling the truth, Jug. Maybe apologize for _how_ you say it." Caroline continued before Jughead could try to apologize again. "You didn't hurt my feelings, but I can't say that will be the case for the next person you deliver a little truth to."

Her friend nodded, sitting on the edge of the desk behind him. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "What are we going to do about Archie?"

"Have you talked to him yet?"

"No, I saw him with Grundy in the band room—"

"Idiots," Caroline said under her breath and Jughead gave a faint nod in agreement.

"—and I left to find you because I had a feeling this isn't something Archie would hide from you."

"He never tried to. Archie copped to it before I started to suspect it."

Jughead eyebrows knitted together in suspicion. "Why?"

"He needed to tell someone and he knew I wouldn't judge him on it."

"This isn't about judging him," Jughead said, shaking his head. "Ms. Grundy is 30 years old and Archie is 15. That makes her a pedophile."

"I know that, but Archie thinks what they have is real. He's not going to forgive us for ruining it."

"So, we just ignore it?" Jughead spoke with concern, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's not what I'm saying." Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm saying we talk to Archie and try to convince him that it's is anything but a healthy, appropriate relationship."

"When?"

She shrugged carelessly. "We could do it tonight or tomorrow."

"We have the pep rally tomorrow night," Jughead reminded her. He looked uncomfortable just talking about it.

"I'm not really the pep rally kind of girl, Jug."

"You're a cheerleader. Isn't that the definition of pep?" He asked as a lopsided smirk formed on his lips.

"Ex-cheerleader. I quit the Vixens last year after…" Caroline paused, finishing her sentence silently. She swallowed hard when she saw how Jughead was looking at her. "Well, you know…"

He nodded slowly. "You mean—"

"Yup," she cut him off before the words could form on his lips.

Jughead watched her for a second and Caroline recognized the pity in his eyes. She turned away when he moved toward her. Her gaze dropped to her arm where he placed his hand in an obvious, and needless, attempt to comfort her. She had never been fond of talking about the death of her family, but not for the reasons that people assumed. Whenever she brought it up, everyone around her tended to flip some imaginary switch. They'd either give her the same pathetic look Jughead had or make some meager attempt to ease her non-existent grief. Whichever they chose, it always made Caroline regret bringing it up in the first place. So, eventually she just stopped talking about it.

"We can do it tonight," Jughead said, breaking her train of thought. She gave him tense nod and stepped out of his reach. "I might actually be going to this pep rally."

Caroline lifted her hands and hugged her arms, feigning a shiver. "Did you feel that? I think hell just froze over."

"I go to these kinds of things sometimes." Jughead quickly continued when Caroline arched an eyebrow. "…when I have some sleuthing to do."

"That's what I thought." She started towards the door, only pausing to look back at Jughead when she placed her hand on the knob. "Meet me at my house and we can go to Archie's together."

"Can't we just meet at Archie's?"

"You live right down the street from me, Jug." Caroline narrowed her eyes when she saw his expression. "And Archie's house is on the opposite side of town…"

Jughead shook his head and gave a weak wave of his hand. "Yeah, you're right. I'll be there… at your house… tonight."

A small part of Caroline wanted to stay and dig for answers as to why he was acting off, but the part of her that wanted to get home won out. She gave him a fleeting smile and slipped into the hallway. As Caroline walked through the school, she promised herself that she'd bring up his weird reaction later that night, but deep down she knew she wouldn't.

* * *

Her duffel bag hit the ground with a thud when Caroline let it slide off her shoulder. Her bookbag followed a second later. She gave both a swift kick to move them out of the walkway and tossed her keys on the glass table by the front door of Charlie's house. Even after months of staying with her uncles, she still couldn't bring herself to think of it as her home.

Caroline pulled her hair from it's ponytail as she walked to the back of the house where the kitchen and living room was. Her fingers raked through her blonde hair and settled on her hips when she reached the archway leading into the kitchen. She couldn't decide what she wanted to do first: eat or shower, but she knew she desperately needed both.

"Hey, Caroline." She barely held back the scoff that built in her throat, but couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes when the all-too-recognizable voice reached her ears.

"Hey, Sweet pea," Caroline responded before she turned and walked into the kitchen. It was impossible to see who was lounging in the living room unless she was standing right behind the huge L-shaped couch. "I'm guessing Fangs and Toni are here too."

"Just Fangs, actually," a second voice replied, belonging to Fangs Fogarty. Caroline reached the refrigerator and swung open both doors. "Toni will be here soon. She said she was going by Pop's for some food first."

"Do I want to know how you got into my uncle's house?"

"We have keys," Sweet Pea answered.

Caroline let the fridge doors swing close as she tried to process his words. She took a deep breath and strode into the living room, so she could face the Southside Serpents that had taken up residence on her couch.

"Keys?" Caroline raised an eyebrow at the two boys. "As in _plural_?"

On cue, both Fangs and Sweet Pea dug into their respective pockets and pulled out tiny golden keys.

"Keys," the boys chorused.

"And we're not the only ones." Sweet Pea gave her a smile that seemed to tell her that he knew something she didn't.

Caroline exhaled slowly. "What are you talking about?"

"Charlie and Joe gave out a bunch of them to the guys who work in the garage," Fangs said, his gaze still locked on the flat-screen tv mounted on the wall behind her.

She finally released the scoff that had been building in her throat. "Just how many Serpents have keys to this house?"

Sweet Pea glanced at her, shrugging his wide shoulders. "I think the smarter question would be how many Serpents _don't_ have keys."

"Jesus Christ, it's like I live in a fucking hostel," Caroline muttered under her breath as she walked back into the kitchen. She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and an orange out of the basket on the kitchen island and started out of the room. "I'll be upstairs if you need me. Try not to break anything while you're down here though. That last table cost over $200 to replace."

"Sure, as long as you promise not to start belting out Ariana Grande in the shower again," Sweet Pea retorted, his tone serious.

In a flash, Caroline leaned over the back of the couch and grabbed a handful of Sweet Pea's shirt. She pulled his face closer to hers so he'd give her his full attention. "That was one time and you swore never to speak of it again."

"In order to get over a trauma like that, I think it's better if I talk about it. It's therapeutic," the older boy said, the smirk on his lips growing wider.

"You want to talk about trauma?" Caroline asked as she narrowed her eyes. "Maybe _I_ should talk to Fangs about that time I walked in on you and—"

"You wouldn't," Sweet Pea cut her off quickly. His eyes narrowed, mimicking her shift to defense.

"You don't want to test me on that, Sweets." She released his shirt and continued out of the room. "I'll be upstairs washing off all the blood, sweat, and tears from tryouts, but let me know when Toni gets here with the food."

* * *

Loki's stomach rose and fell at an even pace under Caroline's head. She had her phone in one hand while running the other over his short fur. Her uncle's Pitbull was large enough to reach horizontally from one side of the bed to the other and had the demeanor of a small bear, but at the end of the day all he wanted to do was eat, sleep, and cuddle. Since Arthur had been deployed overseas for over a year Caroline had unofficially adopted his dogs as her own. His other dogs, Thor and Odin, were lying on the floor of her bedroom.

"Do people cross the street when they see you two coming towards them?"

"Yeah, and I revel in their fear," Caroline murmured as a smirk slid onto her lips. She placed her phone on the bed before sitting up. Sweet Pea was leaning against her door with his arms crossed over his chest when she turned to look at him.

"Have you heard from Artie lately?"

Caroline shook her head. "Not a word, but David said that's normal so I'm not worried."

"Caroline Grey worried…" Sweet Pea mused aloud. He gave a swift shake of his head and pushed himself away from her door, taking a few steps further into the bedroom.. "I didn't think it was possible for you to show human emotions."

"You're seeing one right now," she said and raised both hands to flip him off.

Sweet Pea quirked his head to the side. "Obscene finger gestures from such a pristine girl."

Caroline's eyes widened in disbelief. "Never in a million years did I think I'd hear you quote The Breakfast Club."

"Never in a million years did I think you'd force me to _watch_ The Breakfast Club," Sweet Pea retorted as he sat down beside her on the bed.

"Oh, please." She smirked knowingly. "You were nothing but a willing participant."

"Only because your uncles had me working like a dog in the garage all day and I was too tired to get off the couch when you put that damn movie on."

"It's just us here. You can drop the act," Caroline said as she fell back onto her bed. Sweet Pea looked over his shoulder at her. "I know you related to the teenage criminal rebel more than you care to admit."

Sweet Pea opened his mouth to say something right as a knock came at her door. Caroline tore her attention from him and sat up to see Toni and Fangs walking into her room.

"Your secret's safe with me," she whispered in Sweet Pea's ear before she moved over to make room for her other friends. There had always been a silent understanding between the two southside teens. As long as Caroline was willing to keep Sweet Pea's secrets, Sweet Pea would keep hers, but they had yet to put that agreement to the test. Caroline wasn't sure she'd ever trust him enough to try.

"Tell me you brought me some salvation," Caroline begged as her gaze went to the bags in Toni's hands, knowing what was waiting inside.

"Cheeseburger and a milkshake," her friend told her with a shake of the Pop's bag.

The blonde licked her lips. "And…"

"French fries, of course," Toni added.

Caroline extended a hand towards the food. "Have I ever told you how much I love you, Toni Topaz?"

"Yes, but not today," Toni said and handed her the bag. She sat down on the bed beside Sweet Pea and Fangs took the spot next to Caroline.

"Well, I love you, Toni Topaz," Caroline said as she leaned across the space between them and hooked an arm around her neck. She kissed her friend on the cheek before sitting back.

"Get a room," Sweet Pea joked, earning a glare from both Caroline and Toni.

"Careful, Sweets. Being stabbed in the neck with a fork isn't really considered an honorable way to die these days." Caroline smirked as she brandished the plastic utensil between her fingers.

"Speaking of getting a room," Toni started, making an obvious attempt to change the subject before Sweet Pea could frame a response, "where's Kit tonight?"

"She picked up another shift at the diner," Caroline said as she leaned back on her pillows. "She's been trying to save up money so she can move out of her grandpa's place."

"Why bother?" Fangs asked and Caroline raised an eyebrow at him. "She's practically already living here."

Caroline didn't notice the sly look Toni and Sweet Pea exchanged, but she did recognize Fang's passive aggressive tone. While she knew that her girlfriend never got along with Fangs, she never really bothered to find out what caused that animosity between them.

"Kit's trying to get emancipated so she can get her own place," Caroline explained and took a large bite of the burger in her hands.

"Why _doesn't_ she just move in here?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Because her grandfather would probably kill someone if he found out about it," Toni answered for Caroline, who nodded in agreement.

"He'd kill me," she corrected, looking up at her friends. "Besides, if Kit took the guest room, where would all you strays sleep?"

"In here," Sweet Pea quipped.

Caroline pursed her lips as it spread into a thin smirk. "Aw, a sleepover with Sweet Pea. We can paint each other's nails, watch chick flicks, and you can tell me all the deets about your make-out session with—"

"I will kill you." Sweet Pea pointed a finger at her, which only made her smirk widen.

Caroline winked. "I'd like to see you try."

* * *

The knock at the door was the first thing to pull Caroline's attention away from Breakfast at Tiffany's and reminded her of the plans she had made with Jughead.

"Shit," she sighed as she slid off the bed. She grabbed her shoes off the floor and started toward her bedroom door, making sure to step over her sleeping dogs.

"Where are you going?" Toni asked, popping her head up from her pillow.

Caroline paused by the door and pulled on her convers. "I forgot I made plans for tonight."

"What about our double feature?" Sweet Pea questioned. He angled his head in her direction. "You promised that if I sat through this stupid tiffany's breakfast movie that you'd finally watch die hard."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "First off, it's Breakfast _at_ Tiffany's and second, I should be back before Holly dies."

"She dies?" Fang's voice met her ears.

Caroline simply shrugged. "Guess you'll have to watch to find out."

" _Evil_ ," Toni mouthed as a smirk turned up the corners of her mouth.

"You never said where you were going," Sweet Pea said before Caroline could leave.

"Because it's none of your business," she said.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. "Which means it's Northside drama."

"And none of your business," Caroline reiterated as she hovered in the doorway. "I'll be back in a little while."

She closed the door behind her before any of her friends could respond and skipped down the stairs. Jughead was waiting for her when she exited the house. Caroline slid her hair out from under her jacket before zipping it. She wasn't exactly dressed to impress, settling for an oversized t-shirt and her pajama pants, but her appearance was never a large concern for her.

"That's what you're wearing?" Jughead asked as he looked her over. Caroline tilted her head to the side.

"This is not the time for fashion advice," she said, pausing a moment to gesture to his own outfit, "and, no offense, but you are the last person I'd take said advice from."

"Fair enough," Jughead said with a shrug. He motioned to the house behind them. "What were you doing?"

"Watching a movie."

"You're home alone?"

"Yeah." The lie slipped out of her mouth easily. She gestured to the sidewalk after zipping up her jacket. "Now, let's get out of here before I decide to go inside to the warmth of my own bed."

* * *

"There he is," Jughead said. Caroline followed his gaze down the street to where Archie was approaching his house. Their friend's step faltered when he realized they were there. Jughead stood from the porch. "Here we go."

Caroline stayed seated, but gave Jughead's leg a soft smack. "Be nice. We came in peace, remember."

"I'm always nice," he responded with a coy smile and Caroline refrained from scoffing.

Archie slowed to a stop when he came up to his house, his gaze landing on his friends. "Hey, guys. What are you doing here?"

"We needed to talk to you."

"About Ms. Grundy," Caroline specified.

"I saw you with her in the music room."

Archie stepped forward, frantically glancing between his friends and the front door of the house. "Keep your voice down. My dad's inside!"

"I'm trying to help you, dude. I'm trying to be your friend," Jughead said. He ambled down the steps so he was standing a couple feet from Archie. Caroline could hear the underlying meaning behind his words. "Even though we're not anymore."

Jughead looked over his shoulder and Caroline sighed once she saw the look on his face. With a nod, she relented.

"Care told me you two have been together since summer vacation."

Archie turned his attention to her, raising an eyebrow. "You told him?"

She nodded. "After he saw you in the music room, yeah. I had no reason to lie to him after that."

"I like her, okay? Like really like her and she likes me," Archie said. It wouldn't be of any use to try to prove him wrong, so Caroline kept quiet. Jughead, on the other hand, couldn't hold back a scoff.

"So, I'm guessing she's the reason you've been acting weird since summer?"

"One of them."

Caroline pursed her lips, knowing what he was about to admit to. She had tried to ease his concerns before, but it never took. Archie believed that he had heard the gunshot that killed Jason. Now, Jughead would too.

She remained silent and in her seat as Archie revealed his "involvement" in the Blossom murder. Caroline listened to Jughead's pleas for their friend to go to the cops and Archie's refusal due to Ms. Grundy's involvement, but didn't say a word either way. Any attempt to dissuade them would lead to questions that she couldn't answer. It was always safer to just say quiet.

"Look, I saw you guys," Jughead retorted, the anger in his voice being replaced with concern. "She's messing with you, man, and she's messing with your mind."

"What the hell do you know about it, Jughead?" Archie asked. "Or about me, even?"

Noticing the change of tone in her friend's conversation, Caroline slid forward on the porch step, prepared to step in if necessary. When she agreed to go with Jughead to talk to Archie, she didn't know the current state of their relationship. It seemed to be less than favorable in order to convince Archie to change his mind.

"Nothing, but I used to know this guy once. Archie Andrews. He wasn't perfect, but…" Jughead sighed, "He always tried to do the right thing, at least."

Caroline stood and hopped down the steps when Jughead started to walk past Archie.

"Jug," Archie said, grabbing their friend by the arm. "If you tell anyone about this…"

"What? What are you going to do?" Jughead asked. Caroline took another step toward them as she waited for Archie's response. By the look on his face, he'd meant it as a threat, but she didn't expect him to follow through with stating it out loud. Caroline moved between them, pushing them apart when she heard the door open behind her.

"Enough, guys," she murmured before turning to face Mr. Andrews.

"Hey, Care, Jug. You coming in? We got take out from pops."

Caroline smiled sweetly and shook her head. Archie answered for them before she had the chance. "They were just leaving."

"But thank you for the offer, Mr. Andrews," she added.

"Well, you know you're always welcomed here, Caroline," the older man said, returning her smile. She faced her friends and grabbed Jughead's arm.

"Let's go, Jug."

He didn't fight her as she led him from the house. She waited until he was on the sidewalk to look back at Archie. The guilt was plain to see in his expression and so was the anger. She could tell he was at least thinking about coming clean, but she'd have to wait to talk to him. Jughead was waiting for her a couple houses down the street when she went to join him. She offered him an understanding smile.

"You okay?"

Jughead huffed a sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I just… I didn't—"

Caroline placed a hand on his shoulder as a mild form of comfort. "I'm sorry, Jug. This must be hard for you."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, holding her gaze. "You know, you've gotten a lot better at that."

"At what?"

Jughead forced a smile. "The whole fake empathy 'I totally relate to how you feel' thing. I almost believed you just then."

She shrugged, angling her head to the side. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, it's harder than it looks."

He laughed faintly. "You know, you're pretty fucked up, Care."

Caroline smirked. "You have no idea, Jug."

* * *

Caroline knocked once on the bedroom door before moving inside. She sighed when she saw her best friend sitting on the edge of her bed. "Betty."

"Caroline," she murmured. Caroline barely had time to brace herself before Betty crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. She didn't hesitate to hug her back, but it did cement the idea that something had gone wrong during Betty and Cheryl's girl's night. She had just gotten home when she got her call. It took all of ten minutes to convince Charlie to let her go to the Northside and get her stuff together. She managed to persuade Toni and the others that her friend-emergency was important enough to take a rain-check on the movie marathon, but agreed to let them stay the night despite her leaving.

"Hey, what happened? What did Cheryl do?"

"She… she kept asking me questions about Polly and—and Jason," Betty explained. She let go of Caroline and stepped back. "The way she was asking, it was like she was implying that my sister had something to do with his murder. And then she outright said she thought Polly had something to do with it and I… I lost it."

Caroline narrowed her eyes and reached down to grab Betty's hands. Turning them over, she could see the fresh crescent-shaped nail marks on both of her palms. It was a type of coping mechanism that Betty had developed over the years. Caroline had tried to help her find alternative ways to deal with any stressful or emotional moments, but none had yet to stick.

"Come on," Caroline said as she took her best friend by the wrist and led her to the bathroom. She gestured for her to sit on the closed toilet before wetting a hand towel and kneeling in front of her. Carefully, Caroline cleaned the dried blood from Betty's palm, making sure to take extra care of the deeper ones. She looked up at her friend once she was finished and gestured to the bedroom. "Give me a minute to get into my pajamas and then you can give me a play-by-play, okay?"

Betty nodded as she stood, but paused in the doorway. Facing Caroline, she smiled. "Thank you for coming, Care."

She shrugged. "You're my best friend, Betty. You call, I come running and vice versa. It's what we do."

"I love you, Caroline."

"I love you, too, Betty."

* * *

The front door to Charlie's house was unlocked when Caroline got home. She'd left Betty's early enough to go home first before school, but she'd expected her uncles to be gone by the time she got there. Once she was inside, she put her keys on the table and started up the stairs.

"In here, Care."

At the sound of Charlie's voice, she abandoned her idea to go shower and walked into the kitchen. She raised an eyebrow when she saw that it wasn't just Charlie and David in there like she had expected. Instead, all five of her uncles had taken up residence in their kitchen and by the look on their faces, it wasn't for a good reason.

"Hey…" Caroline sighed. She dropped her bag on the floor and stepped further into the room slowly, surveying each of her uncles for clues as to why they were there.

Charlie leaned back against the sink as he smiled faintly. "How's Betty doing?"

Caroline nodded. "She's good now. Thanks for letting me go."

"Your other friends are still upstairs, asleep," David said over his shoulder as he worked on something by the stove. "The tall one snores, by the way."

Caroline shrugged. "Yeah, I've tried to get him to wear those nose strips, but he's stubborn."

Her attention shifted to Joe when he cleared his throat. She couldn't help but notice how tired he looked. He was still stressed about the start of Jason's murder investigation. Running a hand over his beard, he leaned forward to place his elbows on the kitchen counter. Clasping his hands together, he sighed. "Billy's informed us that the sheriff is going to be bringing you in for questioning today, Care. Probably while you're at school. We just wanted you to be ready to—"

"Lie," she finished, looking at Billy. "I mean, of course, I'll call you and our lawyer and then I'll lie."

Billy exchanged a look with Joe before nodding. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Is it Sheriff Keller who will questions me?"

"Most likely," Charlie answered.

"That's good. He's always liked me so there's a better chance he'll believe me." Caroline sighed and picked her bag up off the floor, hanging it over her shoulder. "Now, if that's all, I have to wake up my friends, shower, and get ready for school."

"Caroline." Joe stood from his seat and moved toward her, his eyes narrowing. "You remember what you're going to say?"

She quirked her head as her lips spread into a smirk. "You better hope I do or this whole plan of yours falls to pieces."

" _Caroline_ ," Charlie said as he shot her a look. He knew she was joking, but it obviously wasn't the time or the place for it.

His niece sighed, shifting her weight. "Have a little faith, guys. I've always done what you've told me to do. Why would I stop now?"

"Because this is different," Richard said, speaking for the first time since Caroline walked into the kitchen. She wanted to laugh, but instead settled for a shake of her head.

"No, it's not."

Without another word, she left her uncles and, thankfully, they let her go. She knew what they were thinking. Since this was about Jason, about a _friend_ , she'd be more inclined to do the right thing. What they didn't know is that it didn't make much of a difference who the victim of their various crimes was. No matter what, the consequences of revealing the truth would have a negative impact on her family. And that's what they were; her family. She was a part of it and it was a part of her now. At the end of the day, she'd do whatever it take to keep it from falling apart, even if meant letting her friend's killer get away with murder.


End file.
